Brain Implants

So I was listening to a podcast this weekend about this. There's a new technique called deep brain stimulation that has had some success in treating certain conditions. They implant electrodes deep in the brain and set a voltage to them. The podcast focused on one woman involved in the early studies. She had severe OCD and depression. It was so severe at one point that she could hardly leave her room. The brain implants seem to help. Just zapping the brain with electricity. I wonder if we're all going to have something like this in the future. Of course, it isn't a simple procedure as it involves cutting a hole in your skull. Because she participated in an experimental study, it was free for her, but I imagine this would be quite expensive if it is approved for use.

Quote:

What would it be like if you could control your mood with a hand held device? Literally turn the device to different settings and make yourself happier and sadder? Alix Spiegel talks to a woman who has that power. She was part of a neuropsychiatric trial that implanted a device in her brain that was supposed to help moderate her severe OCD, which also allows her a different level of control over her mood than most of us.

Since she had her implants, which they call "chopsticks," just two long, thin electrodes implanted in the brain, they're now trying a newer model called "the octopus" with multiple electrodes. If only it didn't have to involve such a radical procedure.

via International Skeptics Forum http://bit.ly/2YVczjU